Tuesday, 10 April 2007

The GBBF—A Mecca for ale lovers

Imagine if you will finding somewhere that has a range of some 250+ UK real ales, as well as nearly 100 beers from around the world, not to mention the wide selection of ciders and perries; that is the Great British Beer Festival. In all there publicity claimed there was around 700 drinks to try, each handpicked to present the full range of ales available to the discerning drinker. More amazing is the fact that by the Saturday, only the foreign beer bar ‘Bieres Sans Frontieres’ had anything left—so if you are going, go early in the week!

2006 saw a change in venue from the Olympia, which I fondly remember for leaking like a sieve during a cloud burst in 2004, to Earls Court. This is a sound move, as there is a lot more space, though as this event expands you do wonder if there are venues big enough.

On entering the arena one is struck by the sheer size. There are so many bars, some dedicated to one brewery, my first stop was Theakstons to have a half of Black Bull Bitter, the only place they seem to sell it. Then there are the regional bars, even the bar covering brewers from our area offers a rare beer: Whittington Summer Pale Ale, never seen that before but very nice it was. Even supermarkets have a presence to advertise their bottled range. Wandering around it is easy at first to get lost but, despite drinking halves all the way, the geography of the place makes sense after a while. There is a lot to see: memorabilia, the customary amusing t-shirts, the book stall; and a lot to do: play a variety of games, bet on the tombola, eat, oh and drink if you really want to of course. Alongside this there is a variety of entertainment, including the classic Whitesnake guitar team and The Strawbs—anyone remember them?

The main function of the GBBF is to present everything that CAMRA is about, and this it does very, very well. It must have made a serious dent on drive for a target of 100,000 members by the end of the year. CAMRA also launched their new campaign ‘CYCLOPS’, see picture. The idea behind this, a concept developed alongside 14 brewers, is to educate pub goers how to tell how great real ale should look, smell and taste. So look out for definitions of the perfect ‘First Gold’ etc being rolled out across pubs this autumn.

Speaking of Hall & Woodhouse, special mention is deserved for their bar. Featuring a thatched roof, plastic cow and signpost informing customers the distance to Blandford, it is a thing to be seen!

This article may not give readers a true feeling of the GBBF, but it is only something you really understand by visiting. It is a great day / night out, though staying in London is expensive this option is worth it. It also solves the problem of being unable to find a train after trying to make an impact on all the samples.

A final special mention must go to all the volunteers, around 1000 CAMRA members that work their wotsits off in the cause of real ale. They keep it ticking along like a well oiled machine like swans—a clam exterior but paddling like hell underneath.

So put the first week in August in your diaries, the GBBF is not one to miss!!

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